Where does “niowiht” come from?

niowiht (Old High German) comes from Old High German nio, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.

Ancestry of “niowiht”, step by step

niowiht traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old High German nio

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germannionever
2Old High Germanioalways
3Proto-West Germanicaiwlong time, age, eternity; law
4Proto-Germanicaiwazlong time, age, eternity
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eyu-vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ey-vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning

via Old High German wiht

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwihtcreature, thing; thing, being; being, creature
2Proto-Germanicwihtąthing, creature
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwekti-object, thing; thing; cause, sake, thing
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwekʷ-to speak, to sound out

via Proto-West Germanic *naiwwiht

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*naiwwihtnothing

Words derived from “niowiht”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- →Every word from Proto-Germanic aiwaz →